5 NFL Teams with the Best Young Talent

5 NFL Teams with the Best Young Talent

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After breaking down the most talented players in the NFL under the age of 25 in a previous article, I decided to use that research as a base, building upon the concept a bit further by listing the five teams with the best young talent in the league.

I used a criteria ranking every NFL talent who was born after the year 1986, which was a fair way to define youth in the NFL.

From there, I included my personal list of the top 50 rookies entering the league this year and categorized all applicable players within the age range by team.

Afterwards, with the help of film study and statistics, I ranked each player between Nos. 1 and 10 and totaled up the points from each team in order to generate a ranking of all 32 teams.

With that said, let's get to it. Here are the five teams with the best young talent in the NFL.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

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With explosive talents LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson vying for touches, the Eagles may have a legitimate shot at putting their money where their mouth is and becoming a true NFL dynasty.

Philadelphia has a great incoming draft class, intended to shore up any weaknesses that may have previously existed on defense.

Expect the Eagles to win their division this year, and they may be an NFL powerhouse for the next two to four years. Yes, I am officially buying the Eagles hype.

List of key young talent

Name

Position

Height

Weight

Birth Year

Round

Overall

LeSean McCoy

HB

5'10"

198

1988

2nd

53

DeSean Jackson

WR

5'10"

178

1986

2nd

49

Jeremy Maclin

WR

6'0"

198

1988

1st

19

Nate Allen

S

6'0"

207

1987

2nd

37

Fletcher Cox

DT

6'4"

298

1990

1st

12

Brandon Graham

DE

6'1"

274

1988

1st

13

Brian Rolle

OLB

5'10"

229

1988

6th

193

Mychal Kendricks

OLB

6'0"

239

1990

2nd

46

Kurt Coleman

S

5'10"

192

1988

7th

244

Vinny Curry

DE

6'3"

266

1988

2nd

59

Brandon Boykin

CB

5'9"

182

1990

4th

123

4. Green Bay Packers

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As if it weren't enough to have the best quarterback in the NFL, who also led the team to the best record in the league last year, the Packers actually should be better this year; This is a scary thought should the team remain healthy.

Green Bay is one of the youngest teams in the NFL and clearly one of the most talented. Obviously, expectations are high for those dairy-donning fans in the NFC North.

Not only will the Packers continue to dominate in this upcoming season, but this is a team that can actually peak in two or three years.

Green Bay has a rational, if not probable, chance of becoming the team of this decade.

List of key young talent

Name

Position

Height

Weight

Birth Year

Round

Overall

Clay Matthews

OLB

6'3"

255

1986

1st

26

Bryan Bulaga

OT

6'5"

314

1989

1st

23

Josh Sitton

OG

6'4"

319

1986

4th

135

Morgan Burnett

S

6'1"

209

1989

3rd

71

Sam Shields

CB

5'11"

184

1987

UDFA

Randall Cobb

WR

5'10"

191

1990

2nd

64

Casey Hayward

CB

5'11"

192

1989

2nd

62

Nick Perry

LB

6'3"

271

1990

1st

28

T.J. Lang

G

6'4"

307

1987

4th

109

James Starks

RB

6'2"

218

1986

6th

193

3. Kansas City Chiefs

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There's a lot of optimism in Kansas City this offseason, and perhaps with due cause. The Chiefs were decimated by injuries last season on their way to a disappointing 7-9 record, which ultimately led to the late-season departure of head coach Todd Haley.

Now with a healthy roster and locker-room favorite, Romeo Crennel, as the head coach, Chiefs may be the favorites to give the Broncos and Peyton Manning a run for their money in a race to take control of the AFC West, a division that has been up for grabs for several years.

The Chiefs are a talented young roster that will soon be one of the AFC's elite teams if they can find consistency at the quarterback position.

List of key young talent

Name

Position

Height

Weight

Birth Year

Round

Overall

Brandon Flowers

CB

5'10"

189

1986

2nd

35

Justin Houston

OLB

6'3"

258

1989

3rd

70

Jamaal Charles

HB

5'11"

200

1986

3rd

73

Tyson Jackson

DE

6'4"

296

1986

1st

3

Peyton Hillis

RB

6'1"

240

1986

7th

227

Dexter McCluster

HB

5'9"

165

1988

2nd

36

Jon Asamoah

G

6'4"

305

1988

3rd

68

Eric Berry

S

6'0"

211

1988

1st

5

Javier Arenas

CB

5'9"

197

1987

2nd

50

Jovan Belcher

ILB

6'2"

228

1987

UDFA

Allen Bailey

DE

6'3"

285

1987

3rd

86

2. Houston Texans

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Perhaps an exceedingly telling sign of a Super Bowl contender would be a team with arguably the best young talent in the NFL, combined with the sixth-oldest team in the league. This means Houston is a veteran roster loaded with some of the best young talent in the NFL.

Sounds like a deadly combination of experience and athleticism meeting perfectly in the middle.

This is why the Texans were able to compete at a playoff capacity without the help of their most dominant defender (Mario Williams) and their top two quarterbacks, not to mention the injury-plagued season of Andre Johnson, who is one of the most dominating and consistent receivers in the sport.

The Texans have been slowly building a powerhouse since the arrival of head coach Gary Kubiak.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Tampa Bay showed terrible leadership and discipline last year, winning only four games all season. They may still be a little wet behind the ears, but the Buccaneers are loaded with fresh young talent.

New head coach Greg Schiano should usher in a new era for the Bucs, changing the culture of the locker room.

Expectations are high and the talent level is among some of the league's best for this youthful group who is looking to get back on track and into the playoffs for the first time in years.

Even though significant improvement is to be expected, Tampa Bay is still the youngest team in the NFL and may be a few years away from true dominance.

Either way, the Bucs are building something special that teams will soon be wary of, as the best from the Bay is yet to come.